Ireland Decides: The Three-Way Race to Lead the Next Irish Government

As we approach polling day in Ireland’s General Election, who will emerge as the winner between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin remains unknown. The parties have published manifestos that outline their distinct priorities and policies, each presenting their case to the electorate to lead the next Irish government. From housing and healthcare to infrastructure and economic growth, their manifestos present contrasting visions for Ireland’s future. Here, we examine the  proposals that could shape the next Programme for Government. 

Fine Gael

Slightly ahead of its main contenders in the polls, Fine Gael is buoyed by new leader Simon Harris as it looks to retain its position in government – a position it has held since 2011. The party’s manifesto seeks to balance immediate social needs and cost of living with long-term investment and economic competitiveness.

• Establish a new, consolidated Department of Infrastructure, Climate and Transport.
• Deliver 300,000 new homes by 2030.
• Fully commit to Uisce Éireann’s (Irish Water) capital investment programme to improve water and wastewater services.
• Maintain the Rent Pressure Zone framework to help keep rent increases under control in high-demand areas.
• Launch a National Student Accommodation Building Programme.
• Establish a Research Infrastructure & Talent Fund and raise research investment towards 2.5% of GNI.
• Complete national fibre roll-out by 2026.
• Prioritise the publication of Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs) and increase resources for responsible agencies to accelerate offshore wind projects.
• Allow data centres that contribute to economic growth and efficient grid usage, prioritising waste heat capture for district heating systems.
• Position Ireland as the most secure location within the EU for data storage, management, and services.
• Transfer 0.8% of GDP to the Future Ireland Fund annual and Allocate €2 billion each year to the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund.
• Continue with the planned carbon tax increase to reach €100 per tonne of CO₂ by 2030.
• Work to remove the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
• Enact the Health Information Bill 2024 and fully fund the Digital Health Framework for Ireland 2024-2030, which will see the launch of a national patient app and the implementation shared care records.
• Provide resources for more cancer treatment trials in Ireland, benefiting patients domestically and internationally.
• Explore ways to allocate dedicated time for clinicians, researchers, and support staff to focus on clinical trial activities and commit to regular investment in the necessary research and infrastructure to support the growth of clinical trials.
• Ensure that the end-to-end approval process is effectively resourced to support Ireland’s drug reimbursement process and investigate new methods for earlier reimbursement of certain treatments, including early access schemes for rare diseases.
• Seek an increase in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget.
• Work to retain the nitrates derogation post 2025.
• Actively promote and implement the EU’s Capital Markets Union to enhance investment opportunities across Europe, champion the European Green Deal, and promote a European Health Union.
• For Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026, we aim to work towards balanced online regulation and continue efforts to combat violence against women and domestic violence.
• Advocate for free trade policies that support economic growth and push for an ambitious and open EU trade agenda.
• Support the introduction of a digital euro.
• Expand private market investment opportunities.
• Develop a National Fintech Hub.
• Act on the recommendations of the recent Department of Finance report on the funds and asset management sector, including streamlining our tax and regulatory framework.
• Launch an Action Plan for Competitiveness, which will integrate wage policy, tax policy, education and training, energy and utility policy, and digitisation.
• Strongly protect our corporate tax framework from attempts at harmonisation or indirect changes and we will insist that tax policy continues to be determined in Ireland, safeguarding our unique tax landscape.

Fianna Fáil

Outgoing coalition party Fianna Fáil is also campaigning to return to government to continue the work it has overseen in the last four years. Similarly to Fine Gael, their manifesto focuses on addressing Ireland’s housing and infrastructure challenges while fostering economic growth and innovation.

• Build 60,000 new homes per year by 2030, with 10,000 affordable units a year and 12,000 social housing units per year.
• Invest a further €200m in the development of new student accommodation, with all additional funding for student accommodation accompanied with agreements to cap rents.
• €3 billion for Irish Water to upgrade the water infrastructure.
• €3.6 billion to improve transport networks
• Recognising the importance of Dublin airport for our economic growth and development, we will remove the passenger cap as soon as possible.
• €2.5 billion in the form of direct equity injections to support capital spending on the further development of our electricity grid infrastructure, both on-shore and off-shore.
• Roll out nationwide 5G for highspeed, low-latency connectivity vital to data centres and tech industries.
• Increase incentives for data centres to use energy efficient technologies, renewable energy sources and innovative solutions like heat reuse to significantly lower their carbon footprint.
• Select and complete a west coast floating offshore wind test site by 2026; deliver 9GW of onshore wind, 8GW of solar and at least 5GW of offshore wind by 2030; and repower the 76 windfarms reaching the end of life in 2030.
• €2 billion to fund the application of digital technology to health care.
• Double the number of clinical trials with a strong focus on cancer patients to ensure access to the latest treatments.
• Launch and implement the new National Rare Disease Plan, improving access to orphan medicines.
• Legislate for a new online Digital Passport and require internet users to verify their age using these electronic IDs.
• Legislate to give An Garda Síochána and Coimisiún na Meán the power to seek a court order requiring the immediate removal of illegal or harmful content.
• Fight at European level for a fully funded budget in the next EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and reject any proposals to undermine CAP funding.
• Protect Ireland’s nitrates derogation by continuing to promote our case at European level based on the significant difference between Irish farming and other countries, and the action we are taking to improve water quality.
• Immediately publish plans for Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council in 2026, that includes details on sustaining a secure agrifood sector, investing in research and supporting cooperation on public health.
• Support the completion of the European Capital Market.
• Publish an implementation plan for consideration in Budget 2026 following the Funds Review recommendations to unlock retail investment and opportunities to grow this sector in Ireland.
• Publish a new Action Plan for Insurance Reform with a focus on encouraging further competition in the market.
• Review the Business and Enterprise Tax system to ensure simplification is prioritised to better support indigenous business and FDI.
• Expand and broaden the R&D tax credit to include innovation and digitalisation.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin has positioned themselves as the only viable alternative to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil who, between them, have led every Irish government since the foundation of the State. Their manifesto places a strong focus on addressing societal issues and capital investment.

• Deliver 300,000 new homes between 2025 and 2029, including 125,000 social, affordable purchase and affordable rental; 115,000 private market homes to buy; and a further 60,000 homes for private rent and self-build.
• Ramping-up capital investment to 6% of GNI.
• Increasing investment in the delivery of water and wastewater services by at least an additional €1.5 billion over five years.
• Supplement existing and pre-committed funding with an additional investment of €136 million current and €422 million capital in public transport.
• The passenger cap at Dublin airport should be lifted.
• Increase investment in grid expansion and upgrade.
• Enhance off-grid connectivity including the development of a national energy storage strategy, investment in energy storage and establishing peer to peer ‘Energy Sharing’ initiatives.
• Introduce planning conditions that require prospective very high energy users to produce or contribute financially to the production of additional renewable electricity at least equal to their needs at any given time, ending tax relief to data centres.
• Investing €2 billion in the digital transformation of the health service.
• Make Ireland a world leader in clinical trials and the development of new medicines and therapies.
• Provide multi-annual funding certainty to improve access to new medicines and orphan drugs and ensure a voice for doctors in deciding the prioritisation of new medicines for funding.
• Target access to new medicines within 14 months of regulatory approval.
• Seek a fairer EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for family farmers and a reversal of the continuous cuts to CAP funding.
• Ensure EU free trade agreements protect and support Irish farmers.
• In advance of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council in 2026, work to strengthen relationships with European partners to ensure the EU tackles common challenges such as the cost of living and climate change.
• Increase and maintain the banking levy at €400 million.
• Continue to secure a flow of high-impact American FDI and projects as well as FDI from new markets, with a specific focus on Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
• Create the conditions to secure FDI in key knowledge-intensive sectors.
• Maximise the impact of FDI across the state and ensure investments help advance regional development.

For more information, please reach out to the FTI Consulting Dublin team.